


The right thing to do

by ahoihoi



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Dorks in Love, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romance, at least attempted humor, i needed a stupid gay fic, i'm seriously bad at this, no angst mind you, so i wrote a stupid gay fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:47:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27645706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahoihoi/pseuds/ahoihoi
Summary: Hugo nearly said the word he have kept for himself past month. His most guarded secret, his biggest weakness. He was completely and utterly in love with Varian. No way around it. He was on the verge of confessing his feelings, but then he stopped to think. Was his confession needed right now? Varian already fragile, hot tears running down the face from all the shit he had to live through over the past two days. From all the shit Hugo put him through. Was it fair for him to add to the pile? Maybe his confession will make everything ten times worse. Maybe Varian didn't want him, maybe he'll shove him off after he stopped crying and clear mind returned to him. He would be right to do that."I'm..."He couldn't. He just couldn't do it. Not now."I'm really glad you're okay. You mean a lot to me."AU, where post-possesion confession have never happened.
Relationships: Hugo/Varian (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter 1

The first thing that Varian's brain registered was pain. Turns out, having your mother possess you is not the most pleasant experience in the world.

Sinking to his knees, Varian drew a shaky breath. Everything hurt. Hands on floor, he tried to open his eyes and was welcomed not by a pretty site: shaking hands barely holding his weight, and a few drops of blood on the floor. His ears were ringing, head filled with cotton, vision still blurred.

But all the pain was worth it. His mother, Ulla, was finally at peace. After long and painful 18 years spent at the library, after losing her sanity and touch with reality, Ulla was free at last. It was worth seeing his mother smile for last time, Varian decided. Even if he was thoroughly exhausted by the end of this emotional battle.

After a few seconds, ringing in ears subdued, Varian was coming back to his senses. He was vaguely aware of hands on his shoulders shaking him slightly. The alchemist slowly brought his head upwards, trying not to make his awful headache worse. His pain ridden gaze was met with pair of worried green eyes. Hugo's hands were shaking slightly, as the adrenaline started to wear off, but his grip on Varian never weakened, as if the alchemist would melt away if Hugo didn't hold him in place. Hugo was pretty roughed up after the fight, cheek still red after Ulla landed a pretty good punch. His glasses were laying on the floor after being knocked off thief's face. His usual carefully tied up hair were a mess. In the end, Hugo looked no better than Varian himself.

"Holy shit, Goggles, that was fucking so terrifying." Hugo's voice was shaking. "Are you hurt? I mean, of course you are, are you gonna be okay? I'm so sorry-"

Hugo started rumbling worriedly, cupping Varian's face with one of his hands. His eyes located the blood source – split lip, that Hugo accidentally gave him during a fight. His eyes drifted elsewhere, while Varian's mind finally cleared, all the pieces falling into place. He remembered all of it at once: the Eternal Library opening, Donella, Hugo's betrayal, meeting Ulla, his mother possessing him, Nuru, Yong, feeling of his soul leaving, indescribable coldness of his heart as he drew his last breath, Hugo, Donella, desperate attempts at staying conscious, fleeting thoughts as he fought for control... It was too much.

Emotion overwhelmed him.

Varian wrapped hands around Hugo's chest, brining them into a hug, effectively stopping older's endless string of worried mumblings and apologies. He buried his head into crook of Hugo's neck and began sobbing, all the tension of past few days washing over him at once. "You came back."

Something inside Hugo softened as he sunk into embrace, wrapping his hands around the little alchemist. His posture now relaxed, he let Varian lean on him as he cried. "Of course I did." He brought up his hand to stroke Varian's hair tenderly. "I'm truly sorry, Varian. I was stupid, I didn't want to hurt you, Varian, I.. I..."

Hugo nearly said the words he have kept for himself past month. His most guarded secret, his biggest weakness. He was completely and utterly in love with Varian. No way around it. He was on the verge of confessing his feelings, but then he stopped to think. Was his confession needed right now? Varian already fragile, hot tears running down the face from all the shit he had to live through over the past two days. From all the shit Hugo put him through. Was it fair for him to add to the pile? Maybe his confession will make everything ten times worse. Maybe Varian didn't want him, maybe he'll shove him off after he stopped crying and clear mind returned to him. He would be right to do that.

"I'm..."

He couldn't. He just couldn't do it. Not now.

"I'm really glad you're okay. You mean a lot to me."

Hugo's grip tightened. Nobody said a word after, only thing filling in silence of the library was Varian's quiet sobbing.

* * *

Varian, in fact, did not shove Hugo off. Quite the opposite, actually: after talking to Donella and opening the library forever, Varian approached Hugo with undreamed-of offer: he wanted Hugo to stay in the Corona with him and be a keeper of the library. Hugo, of all people. Although Varian told him many times that he was forgiven, it was still hard to believe. Hard to forgive himself.

After some thinking and reassurances from Varian's side, Hugo decided to stay. A few heartfelt goodbyes later, Hugo is staying at the Coronian castle with Varian, as his partner and trusted friend. A friend.

Huh, that stung more than it should.

Hugo never gathered the courage to confess, but he promised himself to do it someday. Someday, that is not today.

The thing is, Hugo never had such feelings for anyone. Forced to survive in the cold unforgiving streets of Iron Kingdom, to steal his food from already hungry citizens, Hugo never learned to love. Such environment doesn't exactly favor the ones with big heart, only selfish and cruel people can prosper. He thought he learned to love when he met Donella – woman, who gave him shelter and knowledge – but he was wrong. Don't get it wrong, he still loved Donella, felt gratitude and respect towards the woman, but he loved Varian differently. He didn't love Varian because alchemist did something for Hugo, he loved Varian because he just excited. Of course, Varian did so much for him, he forgave and welcomed him, for which Hugo would be forever thankful. But it wasn't the main reason. The main reason was, perhaps, his dashing blue eyes, or his brilliant mind, or his kindheartedness and softness of his hair, or the many, many freckles that found residence on his face...

All in all, Varian was different, different in a way that Hugo couldn't deal with. So he resumed to his smug persona, teasing and, sometimes, flirting with Varian, trying to clue in the alchemist on his feelings. Varian either deliberately chose to ignore him, or was dense enough to not catch on. Every time Varian ignored his advances, Hugo felt thin needle poke his heart. Varian didn't notice. But one person did.

"I see what you're doing there." Flynn Rider – oh, excuse me _Eugene_ – said, pointing his finger on Hugo. "I see right through your game." Captain squinted his eyes suspiciously, voice agitated.

"Games? Me?" Hugo tore his eyes away from the book he was reading, crossed legs sitting on the table in front of him. "Have no idea what's you talking about, Rider." He said nonchalantly, smirking as he looked directly in man's eyes.

Eugene put his hand on the nose bridge, massaging it slightly. Sun, he was so tired of repeating himself. "For the last time, it's Eugene- you know what?!" He threw his hands up in annoyance. "Doesn't matter right now." He slammed his hands on table, determined look on his face. Oh, how scary.

"What matters is you and Varian are not happening. Nuh uh. No way Jose." Eugene crossed his arms, looking down at Hugo. "Not on my watch."

"Oh, really?" Hugo's eyebrow bent up, smug smirk never leaving his lips. "What you gonna do about it, oh, almighty Captain? Going to tell the Princess, so she could do all the work for you? Going to incinerate me with your terrific glare? Or, maybe, you going to cut my hair in my sleep, so I have exactly the same hideous haircut as you do now! That's genius! Goggles won't even look at my general direction after that fashion disaster!" Hugo removed his legs from the table in favor of tucking hands under his chin.

"I have you know, my "glare" is perfectly fine and my haircut is the pinnacle of fashion, thank you very much." Eugene answered, sounding offended. God, he was so annoying. Hugo never held any respect for Rider back in his thieving days, but now the man was just infuriating. Who knew, that this presumptuous cardboard cutout of a man is one of the closest people to Varian. The way he talked about his stupid hair and """smolder""" sent Hugo's head reeling. Turns out, he is a noble too. No wonder, Hugo have this deep seeded hatred for douchey rich people, so he could snuff the man out even before Eugene himself knew he was a prince. Rider had this aura of arrogance around him, Hugo wondered sometimes, how could people stand him. But Eugene not only was trusted enough to be the Captain of the guard, but also was married to a princess. The princess. Rapunzel. It baffled Hugo to this day. "Suuuuuure, and I am a half-dragon living in the cave under tha castle." Hugo teased, as he started gathering his books.

Rider shot him a piercing glare. Hugo took it as his cue to leave. He stood up to make his leave from the reading room, books in one hand and keys to his room in the other. "I am serious. Hands. Off." Flynn asserted, as he made "i-am-watching-you" gesture. It only made Hugo roll his eyes.

As he exited the library completely, he found himself in the main hall, which was being cleaned to a teeth by castle staff. The guests are coming tomorrow, so the castle is full of life now, everyone making preparations, cleaning, planning and cooking, in contrast with their usual quiet and relatively peaceful days. Castle's tall, menacing walls towered above him, the sound of his steps echoing through the room. It was spacious. Spacious, but uncomfortable. Hugo can't imagine someone using this colossal Goliath of a building for living. Well, it have been only a few weeks of his stay in castle, sure. Varian has assured him that he'll get used to such living space, but Hugo could see how Varian ducked his head a little in the hallways, or the way he was treading around the building, making his presence almost unknown to most of castle dwellers. Varian didn't like the castle that much either, so it was silent agreement between them to stay cooped up in their lab or watch over the library. Library needs some serious work, so their lab stayed abandoned in favor of sorting books all day.

They want to make the library open to public, but their project still needs some adjustments and agreements with the king. Apparently, king's advisor, what was his name? Nigel? Worries about overcrowding, how library will attract too many citizens. Which is stupid thing to be worried about – it's a library about science of all things – but who will listen to him. Rapunzel will handle this problem later, when she weren't so busy with local noble convention and her duty as a princess.

Preparations for the grande ball were the thing that occupied everyone's mind lately. Varian unexpectedly volunteered to help today, which is why Hugo was sitting in the library alone. He hadn't seen or heard younger since yesterday, but it was fine. Hugo has organised and catalogued two and a half rows by himself already. Tedious, sure, but doable. The library was filled with all kind of books, big and small, thick and thin, in different languages, some that Hugo never has seen before, characters standing out from their neighbours; it would be an inhumane torture, if they were to reorganize the whole thing. Lucky for them, library was already half ordered: it was divided in various sections, each then separated in smaller ones. So all they had to do now is catalogue and put books in alphabetical order. Easier said than done: place didn't get the name 'Eternal Library' for nothing. It had a lot of books. A lot of them. But they were managing. Not without help, of course. Varian's friends would occasionally interrupt their alone time to tag along. In fact, that's how Hugo met most of local colorful cast of characters, including Lance, the girls, Queen Arianna, Stan and Pete, Xavier. Most of them seemed nice, although they barely talked with Hugo.

Hugo is still avoiding unnecessary social contact, especially with Varian's various acquaintances. He feels like an outsider, like he's spying on people from windows. It felt lonely.

He entered the living area of the building, concentration of people here much lower; his steps echoed through halls and corridors as Hugo has made his way into his room, mighty stone walls reflecting the sound. Steady beat of light beamed from sublime windows, lightning up his path, illumination making sky-high halls seem bigger even.

Yes, lonely indeed.

* * *

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

"Go!"

Two figures jumped from the ceiling, ropes in hands. As their descend continued, large eye-catching banner, painted with miscellaneous patterns, flowers and vines, have filled empty wall behind the thrones. Massive letters stood out on purple background, saying 'WELCOME TO CORONA!'.

Varian stood up, wiping the sweat off the forehead. He read the banner again, feeling proud of their handy work. Soon Rapunzel joined him, brining her hands to her chest. Her emerald eyes were bright enough to outshine the sun at the moment.

The alchemist turned to her, raising his hand in invite to a high-five. Rapunzel snapped her attention from the banner, lifting her hand. Then she hesitated for a bit, eyes going between the hand and Varian, before trapping him in a big hug.

"Rapunzel... can't breathe..." Varian choked out, as he hugged back reluctantly. Rapunzel seemed to have understood the hint, as she untangled the boy from her hands. She smiled at him fondly, a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just so excited! The royal ball is coming soon, and we finally painted something together! It has been years!" Rapunzel said, her eyes gleaming with happiness. She's right. It has been a few years since they last hanged out together. Varian did miss it a lot in times of his travels, actually.

"Well, tomorrow I'll be with Hugo in the library again, so you're welcome to came visit anytime. When you're not too busy with guests, I mean, heh." Varian smiled nervously. The perspective of strangers freely roaming around the castle for a few days didn't make him happy to say the least. Personally, he would be completely isolated in his lab for the time of the ball. At least, that was the plan.

Rapunzel's expression dropped, before it morphed into something akin to an apologetic smile. She rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, avoiding looking at Varian. "Yeah, about that..."

Varian doesn't like where this is going.

"What about that?" Alchemist crooked his eyebrow up, head tilted down cautiously.

"Well you see..." Princess brought her hands together to her chest, palms facing each other, eyes still off the alchemist. "You kinda... have to... attend... yeah." She looked at Varian, who stood there stunned, waiting for him to process her words.

"Wha- wha- wha-what?!" Varian certainly didn't expect this. "Why is this my first time hearing this?!"

"Well, I didn't tell you before because I was afraid that you would just make a run to Old Corona, so... surprise?" She's right, though. Damn, was he really that easy to predict? "Look, you are a castle resident now, not only that, but a member of royal staff! You have to attend things like this. You might even have fun!"

"Fun?.. Rapunzel, I- I can't attend, I have the library duty and- and, um." He desperately looked around, physically looking for excuse. He can't go, he just can't. The meeting will literary kill him. His eyes fell down on his old dirty tattered apron, covered in paint. Bingo. "I don't have anything to wear and I don't have the time to buy it. So you see, I can't go." Varian added, now more confident in his words.

"Oh, don't you worry, I've got you covered." She smiled, slyly. Princess took him by hands, not giving the alchemist no time to react, as she dragged him away from the throne room. "C'mon, let's go, let's go."

They hurriedly exited the throne room, passing by some servants, who stood on wooden ladders putting up Corona's velvet banners. Rapunzel nearly knocked one of them down. Quick apologies from another side of the hall, Rapunzel never slowing down. She ascended the stairs, Varian in hand – poor boy never had the chance to recover. They have made their way to the tower.

Varian stared at Rapunzel in confusion, catching his breath. Why did she bring him here?

Rapunzel entered the room with him, gesturing him to stay in place, while she was digging something up in her closet. "Aha!" An exclamation of victory. She found what she was looking for.

She gave him two colorful packages, one somewhat bigger than the other. He seized them up, confused, as Rapunzel continued to look at him with excitement.

"Rapunzel, what is... that?" He turned them around, still not understanding. Was it fabric?

"It's a gift! I've actually wanted to give it to you right after you came back from your adventures, but seeing you brought a companion with you, I thought I make him something too. And, well, my timing just happened to be perfect." Yeah, right. As if something with Rapunzel is ever a coincidence. "It's new outfits! I thought your clothes from the trip would be pretty worn, so I made you a new one!"

Varian stopped giving attention to the packages in favor of casting his eyes down, gaze uncertain. As pleasant as it was, this generous present meant his attendance at the ball was inevitable.

"Ummm, thanks, Rapunzel..." He trailed off, not sure how to feel about the situation at hand. He didn't want to be rude, after all, princess is one of his closest friends, so receiving such a thoughtful present from her warmed up his heart. But the perspective of tomorrow's secular blue-blooded celebration troubled him. Varian never has been the social one, the thought of formal small talk makes him anxious. He attended once, it had been a total disaster: tight collar of his shirt making it hard to breath, too many people passing by, someone trying to talk to him, filthy stuffy air in the ball room – all of that while he tried not to panic. The idea of it repeating made him sick.

Rapunzel, sensing Varian's inner turmoil stepped closer, placing both hands on his shoulders.

"Look, Varian, I know the last time wasn't perfect." She casted down her eyes, memory of alchemist's near panic attack resurfacing. "But it's going to be different this time around! This time I will be close, and Eugene won't have to leave early, and, hey, you'll have Hugo! I'm pretty sure he's a good dancer, you two will have a lot of fun together!"

Varian's cheeks heated up a bit. Did Rapunzel knew?..

"I'm sorry, I really tried to bail you out, but when life gives you lemons!.." She brought her elbow up only to put it down, awkward smile plastered across her face. She's trying hard to make it at least bearable for an alchemist, but was it really enough? Rapunzel laughed nervously, as Varian returned his attention to the packages in his hands, fiddling with them, deep in thought.

His eyebrows furrowed, he thought back to the last ball. Although that experience was truly terrible, oh, horrible, but did Varian had the right to rob himself of future good experiences, with Hugo nonetheless? Maybe, just maybe there was a smallest, the most tiny possibility of him having fun, miniscule chance of things working out. Then who was Varian for not taking such chance? What, some kind of coward? A hare? Besides, his attempt would make Rapunzel really happy.

"Alright. I'll be there." Varian said, eyes, while not fully confident, glittering with newfound determination.

"Great! It'll be not that bad, I promise!" Rapunzel gave him two thumbs up in supporting gesture. "Now go, fetch Hugo and try out new suits. I know that they'll fit you both perfectly, but still, better safe than sorry."

"Thanks again, by the way." Varian rubbed the base of his head awkwardly, leaving the room. "Bye-bye."

Rapunzel waved her hand as he exited. As the wooden door closed behind him, he drew in a deep breath.

Tomorrow will be a long, long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my english suuuuuuuucks.  
> fun drinking game: take a shot for every punctuation error and weird phrasing. you'll be out in minutes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not dead.  
> probably.

As Varian exited her room, Rapunzel's bright innocent smile turned into somewhat evil – although Rapunzel wouldn't call it that – smirk. Yes, wonderful. Everything went according to plan. 

You see, Rapunzel considered herself to be an observant person, especially when it is her friends that she's observing. And since alchemist came back home after his adventures, she noticed a few... interesting new details about his behaviour, especially towards his new companion. The way he blushed a little when Hugo ever so accidentally (or not) touched him, how he was always involving Hugo in their friendly hangouts, how he was staring at him when he thought nobody was looking, how he stuttered more around Hugo and, generally, was more nervous when the thief was close. Rapunzel didn't pay much attention to such minor changes in Varian's demeanor at first, thinking the alchemist was trying to be friendly and support Hugo at new place, but, surely, soon enough she connected the dots. Solved the puzzle, if you may. 

Undoubtedly, Varian had big fat chush on his alchemy partner. When it finally clicked, Rapunzel had to hold back her excited laughter. It was wonderful! Varian! Has a crush! Deep down, she was always afraid for him, wondering if he will end up alone. It would certainly fit his image: bright, wise in ways of science hermit, who's mad experiments are accompanied only by his feral raccoon. Personally, she can't imagine living like that – she can't imagine her life without Eugene. And Varian was a teenager, he was supposed to be all about romantic stuff, but only advances he made were in alchemy. It's not like he didn't have opportunities either, – Rapunzel made sure of it – he just wasn't interested for some bizarre reason. And finally! Someone awakened his romantic side!

But after a few weeks of observation and thorough analysis (read: spying), it became crystal clear that things aren't going anywhere. Nobody made a move, hell, nobody made even the tiniest of steps in the right direction. So, Rapunzel have decided to give them a gentle nudge. The tiniest and tenderest of pokes. To provide guidance to younger generation, of course. Basically, as all good friends do, she is playing a matchmaker. Eugene called it "sticking nose into not her business", but she begged to differ: her friend's business is her business.

Her only problem now was her tight schedule for the ball: she could be in so many places at once. She was afraid that she'll have so many things on her to do list, that she'll end up messing up all of them. It certainly had happened in the past: that duke's shirt ended up with nasty tea stain. Fortunately, Rapunzel already had a perfect solution – she'll need an accomplice. A few of them, preferably. And she knows just who to ask. 

If she thought about it, Eugene is probably not the best candidate. Her husband have taken weirdly hostile stance towards Hugo, it was not a secret. In fact, when Varian have announced that Hugo was staying with him to run the Eternal Library, Eugene was the first one to run to her and state what he thinks of such development. He did not like it, at all. His reaction baffled Rapunzel to this day. He was so friendly and accepting when Varian was redeemed, although he was guilty of high treason, attempted murder and regicide; Hugo, however, was a thief – not so serious of change, compared to Varian. Eugene and Hugo had so much in common!

Perhaps, it was the exact reason the two didn't get along. 

Although Eugene had some things to say to Hugo, he also the person Rapunzel trusted the most – he was her husband, after all. She knew he'll understand. 

Decision made, Rapunzel hurried to Eugene's station, where she knew he would be at this time of the day.

As she walked, the plan haphazardly has been thrown together: she just might know how to make Eugene agree to her plan. Yes, this is perfect. 

Their friends' first date going to be perfect and nothing will stop it. 

* * *

His quiet solitary reading time has been interrupted by somewhat loud knock on his door.

He swears, if it's Rider again, he will break his neck and throw the body out of the window for everyone to see. 

Hugo got up with a grunt, closing his book with an abrupt clap. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Flynn again. He truly wasn't. All he wanted to do is have a little one on one with his book, to cool off maybe. Perhaps he should go outside, walk around the town, warm up a bit – his knees were getting rusty from all the library work. That's a good idea. Maybe Varian could show him around.

He walked up to the door, practically dragging his body there, steps heavy. Sighing, he opened the door. Why this day had to be so long. He started talking even before he laid his eyes on the taller man.

"Rider, I don't care -" He stopped himself before he could finish. He eyed the figure before him – it was not Rider, instead it was Varian, holding to his chest two wrapped up bundles, looking confused by Hugo's sudden outburst. He was doing his adorable head tilt, eyes filled with bewilderment, as Hugo searched for words.

"Oh, Hairstripe, fancy seeing you here. What, are you done with your little painting session?" He smugly said, pointing finger at Varian's chest, at his dirty with paint apron. When younger looked down, Hugo took the chance and smacked him right in the nose. Varian's expression turned to annoyed, as he looked up at Hugo's infuriating self-satisfied mien with smug smirk plastered across it, standing out the most. "Got you again, huh? When will you learn?"

"Yeah, yeah, hello to you too." Varian rubbed his nose with forefinger, looking rather pissed. His brows furrowed, he looked at Hugo with apprehension, waiting for another strike, head ducked a bit, making his already unkempt from the painting hair look even more messy. Cute. "Will you let me in, or will we continue to talk in the middle of the hallway?"

Hugo took a step in, allowing Varian to move inside. He bowed a bit, winking at Varian, smirk never leaving his face. Varian only rolled his eyes. 

Stepping in, Varian looked around: room wasn't what he was expecting from Hugo. As Varian himself, Hugo had a tendency to be a bit messy when it came to his workplace. In times of their adventures Varian learned this in a hard way – knocking down a vial with explosive chemical that Hugo left wasn't the best experience to have, especially when it repeats a couple of times and completely ruins their tent. So, naturally, he expected Hugo's room to be just as unkempt as his lab. To his surprise, it was actually tidy and clean. No books lying around, no chemicals in breakers, no dirty erratically thrown clothes around – the only thing that separated the room from any other guest room in the palace was curtained windows and a little pile of books on the dark wooden nightstand beside the bed. Weird.

"So what's so important that you have to cut short my reading time, Goggles? I've been reading a great book, you know?" Hugo looked down at his hand, looking bored. Of course, it was only a half-truth: the book about botany title 'The Wonders of Corona's Native Flowers' could only be so interesting. 

Varian stiffened. Come to think of it, Hugo would dislike the need to go to the tomorrow's celebration even less than Varian himself: it was no secret that he hated the nobles and everything that surrounds them, so it was only natural to expect that he would be livid if he had to go and pretend to have fun. But it's not like he had a choice either.

"So, Hugo. Do you remember tomorrow's meeting? The one that will be held in the main hall to honour king's and queen's wedding anniversary?" Varian started to look around the room, trying desperately to avoid green eyes drilling into him. The alchemist was begging to sweat. Of course, Hugo would know if he's up to something. The older was good at sensing undertones, and Varian was a bad, bad liar. 

Hugo eyed Varian suspiciously. Why did this came up all of the sudden?

"Obviously. Kinda hard to forget with all the fuss around it. Why?" Hugo crooked his eyebrow, leaning over the anxious alchemist, watching his reaction closely.   
Varian squirmed under Hugo's intense stare, sheepishly smiling.

"We, um, need to attend?"

_What._

"What."

"Sorry, really, Rapunzel has just told me, so I didn't know about it either. Go complain to her if you want." Varian was still bitter about not getting at least a warning before. He hated when his plans were tempered with, especially when it was the social events that were added to his schedule abruptly. 

"C'mon, you can't be serious. There is no way I'm gonna go. Like hell if I spend time playing nice with bunch of snuffy douche bags." His eyes sharp, he brought his hands to his waist. This whole mess was just ridiculous. He has to talk Varian out of it. "C'mon, Varian, this is absurd."

Hugo expected Varian either to try to joke to make the situation bearable, or be as frustrated as he is and go on a tangent. Unexpectedly, Varian casted down his eyes, lowering packages in his arms. That threw Hugo off the rails: he didn't expect Varian to be upset.

"Look, you can probably skip if you want. It's mandatory for me, but you're not the part of the royal crew, so technically, you can miss the ball." He still didn't look in Hugo's direction, preferring to stare at the empty wall instead. "I just thought it would be nice to, you know, just for two of us to have a break from the library work."

Expression of thief's face went blank, as he proceeded Varian's words. Did Varian?.. No, that couldn't be it. Of course not. There is no way this is true. 

Did he just have been asked out on a date?

Thought of that made his stomach throw a party, as his cheeks got redder and redder. He hoped the alchemist didn't saw his blush (and the lights in his room were pretty dim, only source of light in the room being the candle he used for reading), as he tried to get control of himself. He have had dates already, why now this kind of reaction? His heart started beating faster, his blood boiled. Seriously, what the hell? Get a hold of yourself, Hugo. You just rejected him, say something.

"Well, if it's you who is asking, then I'll go. How can I live with thought that someone else stole your dance?" He winked at the shorter. He brought up his head in surprise, eyeing Hugo for any kind of sarcasm or deceit. He, naturally, was unsuccessful. His mouth melted in a small warm smile. 

Again, zero reaction to his flirting. Ouch.

"Thanks." he said in low voice, outstretching his arm with one of the packages. It was the bigger one with thin blue ribbon on it. "It's yours, you can try it on if you like."

Hugo took it cautiously, surprised by sudden shift in Varian's mood. Was he not understanding something?

Varian stepped out of the room, holding his package tightly. He beamed at him, pointing to the right. "I'll be in my room."

As door closed, Hugo looked down on his package. He sighed deeply. 

Tomorrow will be a long, long day.

* * *

Eugene was having a nice day. It was not a lie: today was a quiet day, a rarity among the most populated city in Corona. No reports of robbery, escaped criminals, magical beings' attacks, or general havoc at the streets. Everything froze, awaiting tomorrow's feast. 

At least, he had a nice day. Not until his adorable petite wife appeared out of thin air and started rigorously questioning him about everything. She thought she was being sneaky, asking offhand questions about the ball, or Eugene's day, but captain saw right through her ruse. 

Her sudden excessive chattering meant one thing and one thing only – she will go through her ludicrous plan to set Hugo up with Varian. She tried to hide it, she wasn't doing a good job. Eugene has known her for almost seven years now, it was obvious to him when exactly she tried to lie or diverge attention. She wanted his help. He tried to play dumb, not giving out his frustration. Maybe if he could convince her that he doesn't understand her hints, she would confront him directly, where Eugene had more wiggle room, or she would leave it alone, which would be preferable. But Rapunzel was so stubborn. So, so stubborn.

"By the way, I've persuaded Varian to go to the party, so you can all have fun together tomorrow! Isn't that nice?" Her smile never have fallen, she still looked at Eugene with same excitement as fifteen minutes ago. Oh, goddammit. 

Eugene let out a muffled groan, as he brought his eyes at his wife, looking for some kind of sign of deception. Maybe she was joking, maybe she didn't hint at what Eugene thought she was hinting at. Disappointment: her smile never fell. She meant it, after all. It was innocent on the surface, but Eugene knew exactly why did she asked Varian to go. That meant that her mission was already in motion.

"Blondie, do you really think it's a good idea?" Eugene croaked out, unable to keep the built up frustration out of his voice. Rapunzel didn't miss it, of course, Eugene's bitter tone putting a strain on her previously unwavering smile, but she wasn't backing down either. 

"Well, it worth a try. I think Varian will have a great time! I see no reason for to be opposed." 

No reason?.. No reason... Really, Rapunzel, really now. No reason at all. Hugo double-crossed him in the past, he betrayed Varian, that's a lot of reasons as to why he should be opposed. Hugo isn't trustworthy, why you can't see that? He would hurt Varian again, as he did before. Yes, Hugo, undoubtedly, had a crush on the alchemist, but this prurient miscomprehension isn't destined to last for long. Once the game is over, once he is done playing, Hugo will leave, leave Varian – old dusty toy of his. Eugene clearly sees that. Why Rapunzel doesn't? Why did she had to be stubborn?

"I think he will not. I think he'll end up in tears. Remember last time?" He looked at Rapunzel right in the eyes, expecting she'll get the implication. 

Rapunzel, of course, bless her brilliant mind, picked up on his hint. Eugene expected to see some kind of hesitation, some kind of change in demeanor, but Rapunzel's face never changed expression, staying vibrant, filled with glee. 

In any other time Eugene would enjoy seeing such blissful expression on his wife's face. Right now it was irritating him further.

"Well, Varian isn't a sixteen-year old anymore, he grew up. He has changed. You've changed too, you know? You're not the person you were in your teens, am I correct?" She looked more serious now, meeting Eugene's glare, determination gleamed in her emerald eyes. 

"Well, me is me, and Varian is Varian." Oh, how many kilometers separated Varian and actual topic of conversation of theirs, how far they drove off their dialogue. "Maybe Varian can't get rid of his anxieties the way I did before. You know, people are different. And, my gut tells me that Varian is not that kind of person."

"He deserves at least a chance."

"And what if he wastes it?"

"He will not."

"How can you know?"

"I trust Varian's judgement."

Rapunzel was the one to break the little theatre performance with no spectators they were having. Air between them grew tense. 

Rapunzel brought up an excellent point. Not only she did trust Hugo, but also did Varian for some reason. Eugene still didn't get it. It was so simple – at least, the story he was told was simple – Hugo back stabbed Varian and his companions on the way to Eternal library, regretted it, came back for Varian, who was at the library at the time, they made up, and that's it. Maybe he didn't get the whole story – Varian was somewhat of a private person, so Eugene wouldn't put it past him – but it still seemed weird. Fishy, he would say. 

But Eugene trusted Varian. They were inseparable Team Awesome, bond between them strengthened as time went by. The first time he met the kid, he thought of Varian as reckless and maybe even dangerous; now Varian had his complete trust. Any idea the alchemist had, Eugene would listen, any piece of advice he had for him he would take into account. Eugene wanted to trust Varian this time too, wanted so much.

He trusted Varian, but he also was protective of him. Not overbearingly so, but his wellbeing was one of main concerns of his. He didn't want Varian to be hurt. What was stronger: his respect and trust for the alchemist, or the fear he had for his happiness and safety?

So, Eugene was at loss. Rapunzel saw that.

"Look, I know you conflicted, but it worth a shot. And, if you're right, we'll be there for him as always. But, please, please, please help me, then I'll make sure it will be perfect, and we won't have to be!" She brought her hands to hee chest in a begging gesture, making an infamous puppy eye's expression.

Eugene groaned in frustration. Declining would make him a hypocrite, but he didn't want to help either. Even if he supported Hugo being with Varian (he didn't), he would still not be a fan of Rapunzel's matchmaking. He thought of romantic endeavours as an exclusively private matter. They're teenagers, for Sun's sake, of course they would dance around each other. Rapunzel truly didn't need to disrupt them, they would come around eventually, naturally. But he is better off playing along; then, he could catch Varian and Rapunzel when this mess inevitably falls apart and crumbles to the ground. Besides, it would make his wife happy, so why not.

Eugene drew in a heavy breath and slowly exhaled.

"Fine. You got me at your side, Blondie. How could I ever resist your charms?" He smiled softly. 

Rapunzel made an sound of pure joy, as she crushed Eugene in a bear hug. Familiar warmth filled Eugene's chest, as he drew his hand up to place them on Rapunzel's back, hugging her in return. He loved her, no matter how much they disagreed. 

She drew back, smile back at her face. But this time it was not a polite smile or a forced one, it was genuine. 

"I promise, you will not regret this choice." She laughed, more like a excited giggle of a child. "Now I have to go and check everything else. Bye-bye."

She got on tips of her toes and gave Eugene a little peck on his cheek, running off after that.

Tomorrow will be a long, long day.

**Author's Note:**

> my english suuuuuuuucks.   
> fun drinking game: take a shot for every punctuation error and weird phrasing. you'll be out in minutes.


End file.
